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WASHINGTON: The number of US soldiers who have died in the Afghan war has reached 1,000, according to website icasualties.org Monday, a grim milestone in the conflict launched more than eight years ago.
The independent website, which tracks military deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq, said 54 US soldiers have died in the war so far this year, compared with a toll of 316 last year -- the worst since the US-led invasion of 2001.
The top-ranking US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, warned of more casualties as US-led forces press an offensive in Marjah, a key Taliban stronghold, where foreign troops have faced strong militant resistance.
We must steel ourselves, no matter how successful we are on any given day, for harder days yet to come, he told reporters.
The volatile southern provinces of Kandahar and Helmand where US, NATO and Afghan forces now are battling the Taliban in Marjah account for the highest number of US and coalition casualties.
The Defense Department announced the latest American service member killed in the war as Corporal Gregory Stultz, 22, who died on February 19 from small arms fire in Helmand province.
After the attacks of September 11, 2001 on New York and Washington, the United States led an invasion of Afghanistan that toppled the hardline Taliban regime sheltering the Al-Qaeda network.
The Taliban and associated insurgents have since rebounded and are challenging the Kabul government's authority in the south and east.
President Barack Obama accused his predecessor, George W. Bush, of neglecting the Afghan mission and has ordered in an additional 50,000 troops since taking office a year ago.
US and NATO commanders describe the offensive in Marjah as a bid to turn around the war and ensure the Taliban do not return to power, amid doubts on both sides of the Atlantic about the troubled mission.
But a larger NATO-led force seeking to push back the Taliban has meant higher casualties for the US military and its allies. The 2009 death toll of of 316 was double the figure in 2008.
Other members of the international force in Afghanistan, which have smaller contingents than the Americans, have also suffered higher casualties over the past year.
The death toll for British forces in the war now totals 264, while Canada has lost 140 service members and France 40.
Opponents of the Afghan war said they planned to mark the death toll reaching 1,000 with a vigil in New York City.
The US toll includes dozens of soldiers killed outside of Afghanistan, including Pakistan, the Horn of Africa or elsewhere, who were considered to be part of Operation Enduring Freedom.As of Monday, the Defense Department's official toll for US soldiers killed in the Afghan war stood at 990.
The government's tally tends to lag behind the icasualties.org website as the Pentagon does not officially record a death until 24 hours after next of kin are notified.
In the Iraq war, 4,378 American service members have been killed since the 2003 invasion, according to icasualties.org.
US casualties in Iraq have dramatically declined over the past year as violence receded and the Baghdad government took the lead for security duties. AFP
DAWN.COM | World | US death toll in Afghanistan hits 1,000
